SARAOSTA, Fla. (April 28, 2015) – Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is proud to announce that it has received the 2015 Gallup Great Workplace Award. The award was created to recognize organizations for their extraordinary ability to create an engaged workforce that drives quality, safety and superior performance.

As one of the world’s top-performing organizations, Sarasota Memorial joins a prestigious group of organizations that average a ratio of nine engaged employees to one disengaged, which is more than 16 times greater than Gallup found in polling workforces in 142 countries internationally.

“There’s no doubt that our outstanding global performance starts with our world-class team,” said Sarasota Memorial CEO David Verinder. “It is the passion and positive energy our employees display every day that patients appreciate most, and it is the commitment to Sarasota Memorial’s mission and community that we serve that makes a great workplace and hospital.”

When employees are engaged, they are passionate, creative and emotionally connected to their company’s mission and purpose. That doesn’t happen by accident, Gallup said in its announcement. The connection stems from positive and supportive leadership, strong organizational identity and values and a committed workforce and culture that drive high performance, Gallup noted in its announcement this month.

Just 40 organizations earned the distinguished honor for 2015, including Hyatt Hotels, Wells Fargo, Adventist Health System, Stryker, Nationwide Insurance and other major companies headquartered around the world.

“These organizations set a high standard for what is possible for the world’s employees, regardless of the economy or culture in which they operate,” said Jim Harter, Ph.D., Gallup’s chief scientist of workplace management and well-being.

With about 4,000 employees, Sarasota Memorial is one the largest public hospitals in the nation, and one of the largest employers in the Suncoast region. With its 819-bed acute care hospital and network of urgent care, lab, imaging and outpatient centers, Sarasota Memorial has been recognized repeatedly as one of the nation’s best with superior patient satisfaction and quality outcomes.

Winners will be honored during Gallup’s Spring Summit in Omaha, Nebraska, on June 2-4, 2015. For more information about the awards, contact GallupGWA@gallup.com.